My Heart Is Yours
by Enlightened Life
Summary: The worlds are falling into darkness one by one. Of all the Princesses of Heart, only one remains. But how long will she last against the terrifying threat? Only the Keyblade Master can tell. -SOKAI- -SLIGHT AU-
1. Radiance

**Disclaimer: Enlightened Life does NOT own Kingdom Hearts.**

_Okay... somebody just like voodooed me. This was created out of a sudden struck of inspiration! Idea, after idea, after idea just kept pouring on in and I was going to go crazy if I didn't get it down! So... it was all put into 1 chapter... sort of. I have many more ideas for later chapters. :]_

_Ahhhh, enjoy!  
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_**Chapter 1 - Radiance **_

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Once. Twice. Twice her eyelids stuttered with the rays of light resting upon her petite frame. She widened her eyes fully to meet the ceiling above her. Staring blankly, the color of her azure eyes began to seep in as she slipped further into consciousness. Crimson hair flowing smoothly over the pale silk cushion resting below her head. Eyelids flipping backwards yet again, she blinked silently before relieving the cushion of it's duty and lifting her head. Strands of hair falling around her cranium, she gently tucked them behind her ears and stared at the door; many voices were heard behind it's wooden frame. Sighing, the sulky teen retreated from the bed and sluggishly moved over to her cupboard. She was not a morning person. Her eyes scanned through it's contents when yet another voice was heard from outside, soon followed by a loud bang and some voice raised yelling. She squinted at the thought that someone may have fallen down the stairs. The young female soon found herself heading over to the door. She pushed her legs back gently while pulling on the door; making a slight gap.

"The Princess can not tolerate this noise! It's unbearable!!" the first spoke, her voice overly raised and crisping slightly.

The second voice was a rather timid guard. He was staring at the women intently with fear strapped all over his face,"I know... but there's nothing we can do, her Step Mother is ordering us-..."

"STEP MOTHER!?! How can you speak of the _Queen_ in that way! She should have your head rotting on a spike for that!" the womens voice rose again, "The Queen's generousness is what has kept this city alive. She puts the 'radiant' into Radiant Gardens, and you can't even show her any respect." she finally toned down, but huffed on the last few words for a feeling of superiority. Or just sucking up to the 'Queen'. The idea of her step mother keeping Radiant Garden alive made Kairi laugh but angry at the same time, after all, it was her true Mother who kept the town beautiful. Now it was like a rotting stench field. Kairi in opposed to this thought had decided that the town would deserve a less uplifting but more fitting name, 'Hollow Bastion,' but that idea simply remained in her thoughts. She frowned.

"Princess Kairi will soon be awake, or awake already. The Queen has ordered that we do not allow her to leave the castle at all today." The women finished with a grin and walked away. The guard stared after her for a moment before heading back down the stairs to alert the others of Kairi's house arrest. Kairi slowly lent back from the door and gritted her teeth.

"Why... of all days... dammit... why today..." she mumbled under her exhausted breath.

"U-uhm... your Highness...?" Kairi quickly turned around to see another guard standing in her doorway. She smiled briefly at him and he shook._ 'What is he so afraid of?'_ she thought, before noticing the parchment in quivering hands.

"The Queen has decreed that you shall not leave the castle at all today!" he blubbered the words out loudly, slightly spitting. Kairi grinned and bore it, but decided to ask more. Her _beloved_ Step Mother wouldn't send somebody up with a parchment just to say something so brief.

"May I ask... why?" she smiled again, hoping to calm the guard down.

"Um... I am to... g-guard yo..you... Your H-highness..." Kairi stared at him for a moment, her face feeling emotionless while thinking up a plan.

"All the time? Do you have to watch me while I... get changed too?" she pondered him with the question, a small grin imprinted on her face. Needless to say, he turned as red as a tomato. She giggled at the reaction.

"No, I am to guard outside your door... there's no other way out other then through that window," he scanned her small body, seeming somewhat amused, "There's no way you'd get out through there." he grinned. Kairi felt a little offended by the comment but decided to go along with it so that he'd leave it unlocked.

"I'll be seeing you, Your Highness." with that he exited the her room, locking the door behind him. She let out a deep sigh before attempting to drown herself in sheets and pillows.

_'This was going to be a long day...'_

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The castle was rather busy that night. Maids, Knights, Guards, and many, many others rushing around the courtyard as if the castle were on fire. Kairi sat at the balcony amused. She was locked in her room with no other exit but a large double window leading onto a extensive seating area. Overall, the Princess felt quite honestly like Rapunzel, except for the castle being full of many people instead of some protective dragon. Giggling, she found her way back into the room. It was getting close to 11 O'clock.

"It's almost time, I better start getting ready." she walked over to her bed and removed the pillows. Behind them, were a pair of slim jeans, a light tank top, and a plain dark hoodie. She beamed at the outfit as if it was a prized possession before heading into the bathroom. Kairi came out wearing the outfit in all her grace, and it fit her perfect. She pulled the hood far over her head to hide face. Pushing her hair at the back of her neck, she stared at the open window. The commotion had finally settled down for the night. Stealthily, she turned off all the lights and began to stuff pillows in place of where her petite frame would usually be.  
"Goodnight, guards! Don't do anything funny while I'm asleep or else you'll regret it."

The Princess heard a few groans from outside to show they were still there. She placed a small recording device under the covers next to the silky blobs and a snoring sound began to play. Finally satisfied, Kairi stared at the window once more before walking to the egde with long rope.

"Heh... heh... quite a drop," she nervously stated while searching for any life. Finding none, she rapped the rope tightly around the frame of the balcony. Kairi glimpsed off the edge once more to try and find a more accurate idea of the height.

"Well... here goes... nothing.. ugh!" she lost her footing slightly on the first step. Groaning at her lack of coordination, she glared back at ground, "Come on, Kairi," she took another two steps without slipping, making a smile tug at her face, "Focus."

Luckily for Kairi, the sides of the castle was paved with embedded Firestone. It had quite a rough grip feel, as if it had been burned but still looked very appealing. The slow drift to the ground was taking a lot longer then she had originally planned. She looked around for a second but something soon dragged at her eyes. A light. The Princess began to get nervous thinking she would get caught but became more fascinated with it. The high tower to the left of the castle was... flickering. Green light slowly drifting on and off. Kairi was hypnotized by it, she felt her hands and legs falling numb and slipping. Her legs dropped, making her crash back to reality.

"Crap!" she cursed to herself as her body rapidly dragged itself down the rope. She could feel the skin on her hands burn with the friction and she hissed loudly. The hard ground was coming in fast.

"Argh! Focus. Kairi, FOCUS!" she pierced before tightening her grip on the rope again. She quickly pushed herself onto the way with a large roar of the bricks own traction. Kairi gasped in pain and closed her eyes. Her body felt like an overheated sauna. It burned in agony. She found herself feeling very tired and weak. Leaning backwards and opening her eyes, Kairi soon noticed she was within jumping distance of the ground. "Here w-we.. g-go-.."

She crashed to the floor. Both her legs aching from the climb and the fall. Kairi fell to her knees and gasped for air. The petite girl examined the lights again.

"It's brighter..." she noticed, feeling an sudden uneasiness sweep over her. Pushing her body to it's extent, she pushed it upwards into a standing position and began to speed-walk away from the castle.

The speed-walking soon increased to running as the pain staking legs readjusted to the smooth land. Kairi neared the exit but stopped dead in her tracks, causing her muscles to ache slightly. Wincing with only one eye, the other one examined the exit widely. A little confused.

"The gate is wide open?" Kairi questioned, with both eyes now wide in wonder. Creeping over to the gate, she found no guards either. Not one to complain, she sat up and eyed the town dead ahead.

"To the docks!" she yelled, feeling a little more confident in her escape.

Kairi's crimson locks waved behind her head as she jolted down the hill, and through the town's murky streets. The Princess soon found herself frowning at the side of what her Mothers pride and joy had now become. A hell on earth. This town was once a rich land, filled with the scented fragrance of rare flowers sweeping through it's streets. Funnily enough, no-one ever seemed to be allergic to the flowers either. Many people contributed help to tend to them, and everyone loved them. The town was filled with amazing waterfalls; the water always looked immensely pure but no-one was ever disrespectful enough to drink from it, as many floating shimmers of light raised from them and reflected around the town to create a peaceful aura. It was beautiful, just like the queen. Before she died, that is. Before that hag married Kairi's father and let him die 'mysteriously', somehow claiming the throne. Kairi found herself wondering too far into what the town was like now. She'd seen it a million times over, but it had more people in it then. People who were missing now, not even a single gang or thug was about.

"This is far too easy." she said out loud again. Suddenly it hit her, like a bullet. The attack to her back winded her as she fell forward to catch her feet each. Turning around, the one responsible was gone.

"Playing dirty are we-..." she was stopped short by a sharp pain in her legs. Leaning down, she felt and noticed a crimson liquid trickling down her leg, shimmering in the moonlight. Kairi no longer cared about the pain when she turned to find the enemy gone. Again. She decided to run. Much faster then before. Her azure eyes moved from side to side quickly. A presence approached her many times in the run, but it was too fast for her eyes. Sighing in frustration, she closed her eyes in attempts to cut off the paranoia she believe was affecting her. Kairi opened her eyes again but they soon grew large, for before her was a large oozing black blob. Right in the way of her route. She stepped back slightly but felt the presence again. Sharp pain shot once more in her back sending her to the floor with a large thud.

"What is... going on....?" she mouthed, not being able to find words to apprehend the situation. The dark feeling left her side and she felt instantly relieved. Standing up fast, the petite girl took a run to the right, exited down another path, away from the black blob.

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"Phew." She let the word escape her lips before she heard it. The screeching sound from over the houses. It sounded like a child who had been killed and brought back 5 times, all in gruesome ways. The pain in that sound was unbearable and Kairi couldn't help but clutch her ears. Looking up, she saw it. Kairi was now face to face with the creature that had been haunting her the entire night. For it was sat on top of a house, lustfully looking down at her. She felt her entire body fall numb in fear, the sight of the creature was pure horror. _'Did that thing make that sound? And do this to my leg?' _ she examined the still momentarily bleeding limp and exhaled slightly. The creature hadn't taken it's eyes off her the entire time; it's eyes were nothing more then a deep stingy yellow. They had a strange shine to them when looking at her, making Kairi nervous. It's body was nothing more then the same black from the ooze she saw before, except it was formed in a strange muscular figure, with it's feet lengthened into a design similar to stepped on clown shoes. Kairi stared at it meaningfully for a while, evidently hoping for it to retreat and stalk someone else. No dice. It's grasp on Kairi whereabouts grew deeper as it started to move into a pouncing position, it's mouth dropped open with black slime oozing from either end. Kairi backed up a little. The creature jumped forward but soon stopped and stared upwards in the direction of another house. Taken back by the creatures sudden dislike in her, Kairi turned around. A blood-cold hiss escaped and she grasped her ears in pain again. Darting her sight upwards, there sat a second creature, but this one was staring deadly at the first. Both of them sudden jumped at one and other, gnawing craws and barbaric slices in each others charcoal skin. Kairi stared blankly while the two took many swings at each other. Her eyes suddenly widened as two sets of horns grew from their skulls. She backed away again, beginning to understand a little more.

She turned and ran, it was all she could do. "I have to get out of here, even more then ever now!" she reminded herself.

"Please!" a human voice called to her. "Please! Please help-"

Kairi slowed to a halt; turning her head, she felt sick to her stomach. Grasping it tightly, she vomited and coughed violently, before looking back at the scene. A man, no more then 50 years old was stood motionless. His eyes had lost all color to them and his arm was outstretched to her from his frozen in pain body. Pain caused by the inky claw punctured through his chest. In that claw, was a heart. Kairi felt her body grow icy as blood gushed from the hole in his chest onto the floor. The heartless withdrew it's deadly weapon or an arm, heart in it's possession. The man remained in one spot, all the blood turning into the inky slime, and his eyes turning the deadly yellow. She couldn't take much more of this. Her body acted as if on instinct, rushing to the docks.

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Kairi felt all the presences disappear after about 5 minutes more of running. The warm tears had not stopped streaming down her soft face. _'What was that __**thing!**__' _ she thought, looking back through the corridors of her mind to the images of the creatures, the man being slaughtered and stripped of his heart, and the light. All made her want to leave the town so much more. Kairi breathed in heavily upon reaching the dock. Her boat was still there, all in tact. The soft sound of the waves cooed her, and she instantly calmed down. The moonlight reflecting over the glistening water.

"I can't believe I made it," she soothed to herself, smiling, "This place really has gone to hell..." she looked down at herself, imagining what it would have been like if she was the Queen and not just the 'Heir'.

"It can't be helped." She answered her thoughts and slowly began to drift out to sea. Paddling rather fast, she noticed the water begin to shake. A strong wind blew past her, knocking the boat. Kairi's view was pushed onto her reflection. She soon found her eyes move out of place to stare at her reflection. For it wasn't an identical view looking back, but a petite blonde girl. She was staring puzzlingly at Kairi. Kairi blinked quickly and her counterpart returned to normal.

"That wasn't me, I'm sure of it," Kairi had had more then enough for one night. The wind knocked past again, sending Kairi forwards. She winced in pain, her eyes partly open.

Then she noticed it. Or... _them._

"How... HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!" She screamed at the sight above her, for thousands of hearts were rising from the towns surface. Kairi felt the tears begin to stream again but didn't care. Examining the hearts, she could see that some were much darker then others and some were very light. All of them had darkness. They were the citizens of Radiant Garden. An excruciating pain attacking the inside of her chest. She leaped backwards at the pain, as it continued to ram itself at her ribcage. Her tears were now endlessly dripping off her cold, wet face onto her knees. She screamed in agony. It was all too much for her to handle. Screaming again, she found it uncontrollable to stop, even thought it didn't help the situation at all. Kairi was now stumbling backwards, as her chest began to radiate a strong light. Her heart. She held close on the area, trying not to let it escape. The throb of it seeping through her skin made her mind curl. One more scream escaped, it's fabrications shaking the very water itself. Her sore eyes burned from the endless waterfalls which had been formed within them. Her heart has escaped half way.

She couldn't take much more.

Kairi began to push hard on it, bearing the insane pain that came with it. She felt the warmth begin to light her spirits up again as she leaned forwards. The heart slipping slowly back into place.

"Mother..."

She pictured her mother as best as she could, similar red locks and a warm smile. Kairi smiled through her tears and looked over the edge again to see the blonde girl smiling back at her again.

"I'm not dreaming this, am I?" she felt her eyes grow slow. Her heart was almost back in place. She smiled, "I'll meet you soon..." she said to the reflection. The blonde girl tilted her head and smiled. Kairis heart rested itself back in her chest, making her gasp exceptionally hard.

_"Sora...?"_

She fell into the water.

Unconscious.

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_-Dies happy-_

_I've never EVER written that much in a chapter. O_O_

_Really hope to continue!_

_**Please review!** D:_

_- Enlightened Life_


	2. Destiny

**Disclaimer: Enlightened Life does NOT own Kingdom Hearts.**

_ATTENTION: Loong chapter ahead. Wow. Getting way too into this... XD I hope it doesn't drag on... little lack of inspiration in places.  
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_Thank you reviewers! And everyone who has read the first chapter! :P Really means a lot._

_So without further a due.. here is Chapter 2!_

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_**Chapter 2 - Destiny**_

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"Kairi... open your eyes," a simple voice spoke; echoing in her ear elegantly, "Kairi, open them."

She did so. Kairi stared blankly for a moment before smiling weakly. Before her, was the blonde girl. Floating there elegantly in the white space. The crimson haired beauty was now able to get a good look at her; white dress flickering at the tips slightly while cut in a specific design. It was such a facile piece of clothing yet looked amazing on her. With matching shoes, it all contrasted deeply with her rich blonde bangs which slopped over her shoulder neatly. The girls smile seemed to warm the area up, and Kairi could have sworn she was glowing. Although she was close, for the girl was slipping in and out of transparency.

"Who are you?" was all Kairi could ask. Taken back quickly, she put her hands to her lips at the strange sensation within her voice. It seemed to flow so well.

Her counterpart seemed to giggle at her reaction, "My name is Naminé. I am a nobody," she stopped short for a moment to think, "Your nobody, Kairi." she sighed.

Kairi breathed for a second, tilting her head. "A nobody? That's a fairytal-"

"No. It's real. More real then you could ever imagine," Naminé retorted quickly, ushering her to believe.

"Alright, lets say nobodies do exist. Why do _you _exist now? Unless I'm dead." Kairi's face stiffened.

Namines face softened at the same time, almost laughing, "Because, you lost your heart."

Kairi shot up, full to attention; she didn't lose her heart, it was still there. "Liar..."

"I'm not lying, Kairi. It's not in my nature to lie in person... I lie in other ways..."

"You're not making any sense." Kairi looked down at her feet; steadily standing in one place as opposed to her floating friend. "Just... explain," Kairi asked and sighed, not feeling up for an argument.

"Alright, if you insist," Naminé began, "You see, I'm sure you've heard the 'fairytales' but it's highly unlikely that they are accurate. Nobodies are basically the empty shells left behind after ones darkness consumes their heart. The hearts turn into heartless and the vessels left behind become nobodies. It's a gory process; turning into a heartless. I'm pretty sure you got a first class seat to that performance," Namine frowned, and Kairi murmured in response, "For you it's... different. You see, Kairi, you are not aware of this but you're more then just the Princess of Radiant Gardens. Your heart contains no darkness with it, at all."

Kairi felt herself grow somber at the memory of thousands of hearts rising to the skys above, all having more or less blobs of black gunk stuck within them. She closed her eyes halfway, putting a hand to her hand.

_'All the darkness in the world could never make someone deserve that...'_

Naminé glanced at Kairi's face to pick up any emotions. She soon found herself upon her discovery; a face twisted with rage, anguish, and worry. She inhaled heavily and decided to continue.

"I'm here because, even though you didn't totally lose your heart. It had escaped your vessel enough for me to be born, in a... lesser form. I'm here, and you're not a heartless. Both us in the same condition at the same time. This is rare, even for a Princess of Heart." she peeked to see Kairi had not looked up from her trance, but it had to be said, "Radiant Garden is no more. You can officially call it '_Hollow Bastion_' now, Kairi."

"Naminé, do you believe in angels?" Kairi looked up quickly with a new glint in her eyes. Completely disregarding the 'Princess of Heart' comment. Naminé stared even more watchfully now, "I can't remember what my Mother looks like. I know she was beautiful, and cared deeply. My Father used to tell me stories about how no matter how much they want to, Angels can never touch ground," she stopped again, feeling Naminé's soft smile down on her, "Yet somehow, I believe she's still watching over, and helping me."

"She probably is after all, I was born from your heart and I can feel all that you feel; even towards her."

"I hope so," Kairi smiled. "So what happens now?"

"I'll be somewhere on Earth, with this," she held up a large sketch book full of empty pages. "I wish to fill these in."

"And me?" Kairi asked, becoming a little persistent.

"You wake up." Namine put simply, and began to move away, becoming more transparent.

"Wha- WAIT! Namine!" Kairi chased her. She could feel the ache in her legs again. Her eyelids started to press against her eyes, slowly closing. She could feel her body become light, as if someone was moving it. "Nam-i...-né... p-please... don't go... I'm l-lost..." she collapsed with a single white flash. Naminé was gone.

"_Lost..."_

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"Lost?" an unfamiliar voice mimicked spaciously. "I guess she is alive," the voice spoke again, this time with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"No thanks to you and that stick you kept hitting her with." The second voice was a lot more soothing to Kairi, she felt safe in his presence.

"Hitting? Hah... I was poking her. For reactions, don't you understand anything, Sora?" the first voice taunted the second known as 'Sora'.

"Well sorry that I don't think girls approv-..."

"_Sora..." _the single word escaped her mouth. The name seemed to roll of her tongue in an elegant format. Both voices instantly stopped their fighting and she felt their glares upon her.

Opening her azure eyes; now full of color, she gazed upon the owners of the vocals. The first one was slightly tall. His long silver hair trickling down his back; his bangs hanging over a pair of vivid aqua eyes which refused to cut her out of his sight. In his hand, was a long stick. Kairi shot a dark glare at him making him drop the timber instantly. Turning her attention to the other boy, she found his stare was joined by a mouth, which was slowly dropping more and more open. Kairi chuckled, making the boy blink his deep cerulean eyes. His brunette hair was a mess, but the now giggling Kairi soon suspected that it wasn't an accident; since it suited him... very nicely.

"Hello..." she spoke quietly, scared for the reactions.

"Hi..." the brunette known as Sora replied, equaling her murmur.

"Yo, I'm Riku," the silver haired shot, obviously not feeling as shy, "And he's Sora, but apparently you already know that." he chuckled and Sora turned beetroot.

"Nice, Riku..." Sora groaned.

Kairi smiled at the two, "I'm Kairi." she suddenly felt nervous at the two boys leaned in closer to her, "Um... where am I anyway?"

"Destiny Islands." Sora jumped back in the conversation with a wide grin, "We found you on the beach!"

Kairi glared at the suddenly hyper brunette. She couldn't help but wonder how they got her from the beach into someones house. Shuddering, she lowered her glance to the floor, narrowing the two boys out of her view.

"Well, I'm going to go. I'll catch you later, Riku." Sora stated while already exiting the room. Riku let out a heavy sigh and smirked.

"He's training a lot these days, ever since he found that weapon."

Kairi suddenly found herself interested in the discussion. "Training, weapon?"

Riku stood up and stretched his arms, evidently making his large muscles visible. Yawning, he began to speak again. "Well, yeah, Soras usually a happy-go-lucky kid, but I guess his luck maxed out. He came up to me about a week ago and showed me what he called a 'blade', even though it looks nothing like one. He kept repeating how he doesn't know what he got it, but he did go missing that afternoon... I got a little worried thinking he'd gotten into some trouble," Riku's face took a serious turn, "But he looked like he'd been attacked. The marks on his skin, I don't think a human could have caused it. He couldn't remember a damn thing." he clenched his fists in two tight balls and looked at Kairi meaningfully.

"Something not human... huh?" Kairi asked, not making eye contact with Riku.

"You don't sound very surprised by that idea, Kairi." the silver haired boy replied suspiciously.

"Really? Well I have no idea what it could be. Maybe an elf?" she mocked, making Riku irritated.

He turned his gaze away from her and made way to the exit. "Feel free to come outside whenever you like. You're not a prisoner here, but don't get lost."

Kairi stared after him, surprised.

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"Well Sora, what do you make of her?" Riku asked, breathing heavily.

"I think she's interesting." Sora mumbled under his breath, taking a swipe at Riku's side.

"Interesting?" Riku dodged, "She's from another world, and has that strange aura. Not to mention she already knew your name," he countered with a slash at Sora's legs, "'Interesting' is an understatement."

Sora ignored the comment, jumping on top of his comrade's wooden sword and propelling just enough to not break it in half. Riku tumbled backwards as Sora leaped from a few feet in the air towards him.

"Easy, Sora!" Riku rushed behind Sora, hitting him in the back. The brunette winded for a moment before skidding to a stop on the ground, out of breath.

"Easy for you to say..." Sora murmured again, sending death glares to a very smug opponent.

"Look, Sora. I don't know where she came from, but I don't intend to find out either. She belongs in her own world, not ours," his eyes sealed shut, "I just intend to find out why shes here..."

"Oh yeah?" Sora replied, jolting towards his adversary, taking a neat strike to his cheat. The silver haired boy fell backwards and laughed, dropping his weapon beside him. Sora stood over him, placing the wooden instrument's point to his neck.

"Alright, Alright!" Riku yelled, pushing his body back away from the point.

Sora withdrew his weapon and began to laugh. "That makes 5 - 1, to me!" he laughed louder, giving Riku his infamous grin. He gracefully placed out his hand and Riku gladly took it.

"I wonder if Kairi's appearance has anything to do with that... thing of yours." Riku noted, making Sora grimace on the topic again.

"Maybe, but bad things might happen if we talk about it," Sora shrugged.

"Even worse things will more then likely happen if we don't."

Sora shot a narrow eyed glare at Riku, who was opposing with his own. "Why do you always have to think things out so that become more complicated?"

Riku felt insulted but decided to prove himself, "Because knowledge is useful. Not to mention that my gut tells me something bad is going to happen."

"Like what?" Sora frowned.

As if rehearsed, a weapon shaped in the form of a silver key appeared in his hand. It's company shocking the brunette. Riku looked at it for a few moments as it gleamed at it's 'master'.

"Sora, what are you doing? I told you not to..."

"I know! It came by itself!" Sora exclaimed, shaking the blade around.

"You know, I still find the shape funny. I bet my door key would do a better job..." Riku poked it with a large smirk. Sora pouted, feeling embarrassed. "Okay well, make it disappear. If Kairi sees that, no doubt she'll freak."

"... I can't get it to go away. Somethings keeping it here."

Riku stood over Sora, feeling irritated by the situation. The brunette looked up into his friends eyes, seeing his concern. Riku wasn't letting anything past him, his concerned face grew cold.

"Wheres Kairi now...?" He asked Sora quizzically.

Sora looked back down at the blade as his eyes grew tense.

"Oh no..."

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Kairi laid gently at the edge of the docks. Feeling the tranquil setting of the deserted beach, she closed her eyes and decided to listen to the soft sea. It was something her mother had thought her to do at a very young age. She smiled briefly, reminiscing the few moments on her childhood happiness.

"_Mommy! Mommy look! It's a waterfall star!" an overexcited 5 year old exclaimed, jumping up and down on the soft sand._

"_Oh, why yes it is, Kairi." her Mother sat down, putting her soft arms around her. "Do you know where they come from?"_

"_Uh... u-um... the water?" Kairi tilted her head a little, putting a finger to her chin, "The water makes them because it's magic, right?" _

"_Close... but not yet." Her Mother looked down at her. She began to pout. Seeing the disappointment in her face, she began to tickle the toddler. Making her fall into a fit of laughter. "Well, let me tell you something, Kairi. Those pretty stars actually come from the heart of this world."_

"_The world has a heart?! Why can't I hear the '**THUMP, THUMP, THUMP**' sound?" she asked, excitedly._

"_It's not like a normal heart. It's supplied by light, and protects us from evil such as the heartless." She felt Kairi bury herself further in her dress at the last word. "Don't worry, Kairi. You'll probably never have to find out what that is." She smiled, making Kairi's grip lightened_

"_If you say so, Mommy."_

"_Hm... but would you like to hear it?" She slyly asked Kairi who nodded five times._

"_Alright. Look out to the sea, Kairi. Look at nothing but the sea. I want you to close your eyes and block out everything but that sound." Her mother moved away from her to allow less distractions. Kairi closed her eyes softly and let the wind pass her softly. Remaining perfectly still, she began to mouth words silently but still remained completely still. She could hear a sound from below the waves very clearly. Ringing in her ears, she pressed her hands in the water. She instantly felt at ease as the hearts presence flowed into her. She sighed sadly and opened her eyes._

_Her mother stood there, bewildered by her young daughters reaction. _

"_I could feel it... but it's dying."_

Kairi's eyes shot open, but she had to blink a few times. She was in a dark space; no light gaping in. She stood up, feeling numb for a moment and startled. Looking down, she came to the realization that the ground was filled with a thick dark fog; shaping around her legs tightly. Looking around, the floor seemed to be hardening, then she grimaced as a wet sensation met her hair; touching it, she noticed it was the inky blood, like the man who lost his heart. She shuddered at the memory but a different fear crept upon her body as the fog hardened again, binding her in the spot. Kairi was stuck, and terrified. The liquid dripped upon her again to leave a thick trail down the light pink tank top she had been left. Her bones screamed at the chill as it make it's way to the loosening fog. The ooze kept on dripping upon her petite, body. She decided to look up, but soon regretted it. Two wide yellow eyes were staring back at her, screaming in her mind at the sight of herself in it's eyes, she noticed there was a red aura around her body within the murky yellow. As if the crimson haired girl was a crispy snack.

"Get away from me!!"

Acting on pure impulse, her body turned around and fled through the fog. Muscles aching from her previous escape, they began to pull against her skin. She huffed heavily before instinctively putting a hand over her side where a damaging stitch had form. The air in the darkness was revolting. It was a mix between a war zone and a decaying corpse. Kairi began to choke as more and more of the air was inhaled. In reaction, her wounded leg began to sting hysterically. Confused, she lifted it higher to try and see but the fog got in the way. She was getting frustrated.

"Is anyone out there?" She whelped, with no response. "Hello? Please! Help me..."

The soft movement of water startled her. It echoed all around, making it impossible to pinpoint the location. She searched around for the one responsible, running from place to place. Her leg was agonizing but the sounds kept repeating; someone was walking. In one last attempt, she turned her body 160 degrees around to face boy no older then her. Casually walking through the charcoal-like liquid.

"Hello?" she asked.

The boy turned to look at her icily, allowing a good angle for her to examine from. His eyes was a familiar dark cerulean, with messy bangs falling in between them. The rest of his hair was a fuzzy blonde, spiking in many directions but nowhere near as much as Soras. He wasn't as tanned as Sora either, in fact his face looked rather pale in the lightless space. His long black coat didn't help that much .

She found herself memorized by him, but soon realized his expression towards her was much more twisted. He looked at her as if she was partly invisible, or had _something missing._

"Why are you looking at me like that, can you help me out?" she asked with a hint of rawness in her tone.

He shook his head sourly and opened a dark portal. She found herself about to run towards him but was caught off guard by a strong blow to her head. Feeling the uneasiness settling in, she willingly fell into the bleak darkness below her. Hoping for land, but finding none. The air suddenly escaped her as the ground was now a strong liquid. She felt herself becoming slowly engulfed in it. Drowning. In one last heavy breathe, she felt two arms wrap around her waste, holding her tightly. The force began to pull her out into the open but the silence just continued.

"Kairi!"

At last, a voice called out to her.

"Get away from her! Kairi!!"

Opening her eyes, she found herself lying close to the shore, completely soaked and bleeding heavily with a reopened wound. She placed her hand in the soft blood and winced as the wound stung from the salt water.

"Kairi, are you alright?"

"U-um... I don't know... who w-was... that..?"

Another heartless jumped at Sora in an attempt to get to her, he quickly turned away, startling her with a sudden slash of a cold blade against the creature. A blade in the shape of a key. It seemed to draw her into a deadly stare as it was swooped by it's master through the carnivorous creatures.

"Who?" Sora was facing her against, his face concerned as if they had known each other for years.

_'Why is he... so kind to me... and **protecting** me?' _She thought, her mind still in shock. "That boy in the darkness. The boy with... your eyes," She spoke quietly, obviously tired.

"My... eyes?" Sora stared at her strangely.

"SORA! WATCH OUT!" Riku bolted, but too late. Sora was attacked from behind, making him topple forwards in pain. He was only able to stop a few inches from Kairi's face, both teens bright red.

"Jeez..." Riku mumbled from the sidelines.

Sora jumped up quickly in response, "You could HELP!"

Riku death glanced him "With what weapon, exactly?"

A heartless took note of the bickering and attacked Sora again. He was fast to react by jumping up in the air. The heartless continued to swoop in the same direction. As it was about to hit Kairi, Sora shot down on it with the blade. Slicing it in half. His eyes wide, as if he understood everything all at once.

"_The keyblade..."_ He murmured the name to himself, letting it swing off his tongue in a tasteful fashion. Kairi heard him say it and sat up slowly, staring at it's metal frame, _"chooses it's master..."_

"Sora... Thank-..."

"Kairi... I think you need to tell us how you really got here." He looked at Kairi and smiled, but she simply narrowed her view to the ground, and finally let the tears drop.

* * *

_I wish I could see I'm more happy with this chapter but I'm not really. -.- I added FLUFF!_

_ -facepalm- Early fluff is like.. GAH for me... but oh well... it may not be... so... unfamiliar... for them... to.. make... fluff... moments.... :] -cough-_

**_If you guys don't like this one, I understand because I share the pain. :]_**

**_Review if you want. _**

**_Still appriciated. -heart-_**


	3. Hollowed

**Disclaimer: Enlightened Life does NOT own Kingdom Hearts.**

_-scoff- Yep, it's done. The chapter of doom [literally] is done. Also, GOOD NEWS IS A FOOT.  
_

_News Reel 1 - I only have one exam left to take care off before... *dun dun dun* 8 weeks off school._

_News Reel 2 - I've worked out most of the kinks in the plot for this baby... :D Hopefully I won't lose /too much/ inspiration._

_News Reel 3 - Story Trailer Thing! _http://www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=7gm0psZv0Ew

_So, thank you to all reviewers! You gave me a little confidence boost to finish this chapter, and for people who left constructive criticism, thanks so much. It helped a lot. :P I'll probably proof read this later. Right now I have to assemble an ass-kicking outfit for something important tomorrow so.... TOODLES. -heart-  
_

* * *

_**Chapter 3 - Hollowed**_

___________________________

Kairi narrowed Sora completely out of her view, her hands cupping around her loud, sobbing face. He sighed in remorse and knelt down next to her in hopes of eye contact. No dice. She sobbed for what seemed an eternity, refusing to tell Sora anything.

_'Don't tell him... I can't... I really can't! I want to forget... what happened... I can't tell him!'_

She screamed loudly in her head as the words refused to exit any further then that. Her eyes stung from the soreness, she couldn't stop and there was nothing anyone could do about it as the realization that _something_ was actually targeting her finally seeped in. She was, to put it quite simply, petrified. Sora remained in place before her, making no movement. His eyes were clutching together, obviously finding the predicament hard while the rest of his body remained icily frozen, as opposed to Kairi who couldn't stop shaking.

"Why do you find it so... hard … to tell me?" He finally spoke, with a certain smoothness to his voice.

Kairi was taken back. She still found it hard to cease the sobbing, but removed her hands; trying to fix on Sora's face through the blurriness of her vision.

"I-it's no-not a goo... good memory f-for me..." She blubbered her words as clearly as possible, but soon looked down in shame of how silly she sounded. Riku chuckled lightly from the distance. He had to admit, she did sound quite humorous, despite the seriousness. The spiky haired brunette sent a swift look his way, almost pleading for help. His cool-minded friend simply shrugged; Sora's look turned to a glare.

"I..."

Sora looked up quickly in attention to Kairi. She looked at him with her blotchy, red face and frowned. Her azure orbs slowly began to regain their vivid color.

"I... don't remember where I came from..." She lied, clenching his hands in fists which no-one seemed to notice. She couldn't tell anyone, they would probably treat her differently or hand her over to the authorities, Princess or not. Besides, it was technically against the law to speak of other worlds to people who weren't aware of them. She could get herself in a bigger mess then she already was.

"Are you sure?" Sora persisted, his soft cerulean eyes leaning in closer to her own. Grinding her teeth, the sobbing had been replaced with a frustration. She didn't like this world.

"I'm... pretty sure..." She fibbed again, trying to keep her voice shallow.

He looked at her blankly for a few moments. She did look confused, and innocent. Her body was sitting in a relaxed position with her legs stretched out. The bleeding had stopped but the mark was still clearly visible upon her soft skin. She looked up with a small smile before feeling her eyes grow dim.

"Kairi?"

No reply.

She felt herself growing heavy upon the serene sand as it sand quietly with the waves. Smiling slightly, her body collapsed, slowly, yet subconsciously resting on Sora's shoulder. Her hair swooping in all directions, tickling Sora's neck as she fell into a deep sleep. He soon found the position awkward and moved her into the similar place that she lied before; her hair stuck to her wet cheeks. Sora stared at her for a moment, before turning around to see Riku approaching him with a smug look. The brunette simply sighed loudly and succumbed to the sand; in both exhaustion, and irritation. Riku, still smirking as wide, offered Sora a polite hand. Smiling wide, he took the hand and was raised to his feet.

"I can't take her, Sora. My parents would freak." Riku said calmly, looking at his comrade.

"Huh?! And you think I can?" Sora retorted, almost snapping.

"Yeah, since your parents are out of town, they aren't here to faint at the sight of some random girl," The silvery teen stated in a very matter-of-fact way. Sora snapped his face to look at him.

_'As calm as ever...' _Sora thought, before looking back to the laying Princess. Not that he knew she was a Princess.

"Okay, she can stay at mine," Sora began, making Riku's eyelids bat, "On one condition..."

"Hm? What would that be?"

Sora pointed a quick finger at him, "You carry her."

Riku looked at him in disbelief but soon found that Sora was far from joking. He gave in.

"Fine... but you owe me, Sora." Sora looked at him with a sheepish grin.

"Where have I heard that before..." He began.

Riku picked Kairi up bridal style, ( **A/N: Oh, if only I had a camera for his face at this point.. *pout***) and made his way over the shore mouthing curses to Sora.

**_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _**

Sora stood still amongst the masses of objects from his childhood. The air in the somber room, thin to a crisp; he remained motionless for a while, fixating his view to the female laying unconscious across the faint blue bed. He frowned, drawing his sight away. His mind dawdling on a reminisce of his past; she seemed familiar. Moving forwards and taking a seat at his computer desk, he rested his head between his muscular arms and closed his eyes. The silence was deafening, as all he could hear, was her breathing.

"Stupid..." he motioned himself, steadying his thoughts. Finding the fact that he was fascinated with a girl whom he had known for a few meet hours made him shake. What's more, he protected her and saved her life.

"Why... why did I save her?" He scolded his thoughts.

He stood up and walked out of the room, and into a much lighter colored area. Walls light blue, with a clear white floor; he felt alive in this room. The oceans smell and atmosphere filled the room with the familiar feeling he had grown up with. Although, he did have doubts about being stuck on an island. There had been fairy tales told years ago about things such as 'Nobodies' and 'Heartless,' but everyone always disregarded them as meaningless stories. Sora, however, was growing more and more aware of the truth in them with each passing second. He sighed, heading out of the house.

Walking along the paths outside, many houses were still a lit with life. Luckily, no-one else had been on the opposite island to see the problems earlier. The spiky brunette left a sudden chill as something began to tug on his shirt.

"Hey... So-Sora?" A shuttering, yet loud voice spoke. He turned around cautiously to see a wide grin spread across a girls face, her hair still flicking up from either side.

"Yeah, Selphie?" He asked, puzzled by the Selphie's facial expression.

"Well..." She gapped, "Tidus just came back from the islands. He said that he finally got up the guts to check out that cave, you know, the 'haunted' one," Giggling, she looked up at Sora who tilted his head back at her, "He said there were lots and lots of cave drawings. Apparently, there were two next to each other. A picture of a girl, and a picture of a boy with spiky hair. He also said that the boy drawing had a hand with a star shape, directed towards the girl."

Sora's face was a mixture of emotions, but most of all confusion. He stepped a short distance away from her and looked at the ground. _'That couldn't have been me... I've never been in that cave...'_ he pondered on the thought, slightly listening to Selphie's story.

"Tidus said to ask you if you knew anything about it..." Her 'mature' moment ran out, "Oh My Gosh! It's so... _romantic_!" she burst out, before staring back at him, eyes small and squinting.

"Sorry... I'm afraid I don't." He looked up at her, with a bit of a broken aspect.

"Oh... okay!" She chirped and ran back down the hill.

Sora lifted his head back off the ground and twisted in his original direction. Only to be caught of guard.

"Hey wait!" He yelped, pursuing after a small figure in black.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **_

Kairi shot up, immediately scanning the room and panicking.

"Whose room is this?"

A light chuckle was heard from outside, "It's Sora's room. The only room in the whole of Destiny Islands willing to host an alien." Riku smirked.

"An... alien? What kind of joke is that?"

"It's technically not a joke, you're an alien to this world anyway. You are from another world." He stated coldly. His hands grasping the doorknob tightly.

"Where's Sora?" Kairi asked, equaling his coldness with rejection of his topic.

"Out. What's it to you?"

"I just woke up in his bed, I think it's a lot to me at the moment." Her hair flicked forwards as she scowled at him.

"Give him space to breathe, _Kai," _The room was now filled with awkwardness as Kairi's scorn face fell arctic. Riku studied her reaction heavily, wondering why she was suddenly frozen in place.

"No-one's allowed to call me that. Got it?" She asked simply, her lips moving but the face and it's expressions in a still phase.

Riku groaned, he didn't like taking orders but wasn't Heartless either. "You got it, Kairi. Seriously though, give Sora some space," he turned his back to her, ready to leave, "You won't be here long, so don't get too attached."

She kept her same state why nodding slightly, agreeing with what he said. She didn't want to stay on these islands, but there was nowhere else.

Riku closed the door gently and frowned. _"Other worlds... huh..."_

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **_

"Stop!" Sora panted, his lunging growing heavy from all the events that day; now another one. The figure keep on running. He was rather speedy and darted in straight lines whilst Sora felt himself swaying from side to side in wooziness. The main islands shore was now in sight. The brunette pelted towards the black coated stranger with immense speed, but soon found his lungs giving way. Letting out a loud ache, he fell, smashing his face hard into the sand, legs and arms scraping not too far behind. The figure stopped, but Sora can't see how smug his reaction was because of his hood.

"Why are you chasing me?" the stranger inquired. His voice was rather squeaky, almost like a mouse... but that was preposterous.

"Because, I can tell you're not from around here and you're wearing a black hood." Sora expressed through the sand, his eyes hurting slightly.

"Oh, so that makes me a target now, hm?" His tone seemed a little upbeat, almost finding Sora's reasons amusing.

Sora cocked his head and sighed. "Well, we've had more then enough strange stuff happen here today." He stood up and stared at the stranger.

"Ah, I see. Then, I'll disregard your chase as an insult."

"Hey- hold on..." Sora dropped his voice, feeling partially taken up.

"It's okay, Sora."

Sora's head jolted up, now he felt unsafe.

"How... why do so many _strangers_ know my name?" Looking at the ground, he noticed so clumps of sand fall from his hair.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't know the Keyblade's chosen bearer?" The figure took a step towards the ocean and placed his hand out. Small particles of light began to center around the point of his palm and an elegant gold Keyblade appeared. Sora glanced at it before feeling a sensation in his hand to notice that his Keyblade, yet again, had decided to make an encore. Groaning, he dropped purposely dropped it to the floor. The stranger exhaled sadly.

"You're going to need that, Sora. Keep a hold of it..."

"Why should I?! I didn't ask for this, and I don't want this!" He snapped, feeling an ache on his heart as if the blade itself was a burden, "What am I supposed to do!? Huh! I can't just..."

"Welp... you should already know what to do." he interrupted the brunette, removing his hood to reveal his identity. Sora's mouth, wide open.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **_

Darkness. It was all that could be seen for miles through the vast world. Strangely enough, there was a shoreline which soft waves lightly kissed before cowering back into place to try again, the sand was a charcoal color which was just as foggy, and only ran up to a certain point of the area before turning into a cold stone. The young Nobody felt bewildered as to how she ended up here; making light particles of soot-like dust scatter with each step of her light shoes. She sighed, taking in more of the surroundings in hope of finding an exit. She was lost in this world, and decided to take a break. The small blonde sat at the edge of the sand and began to carve the area onto a blank piece of paper, capturing the still essence of the surfeiting water, strangely formed rocks, and a large 180 degree tree which slopped over the water in an arch-shape. She smiled at the drawing, feeling somewhat pleased with it despite the cold bitterness of the actual area. Her smile faded quickly as her head twisted around violently to see a figure in a black coat staring at her position; the hood prevented her knowing if it was _her_ who was gaining the attention. Rotating her neck back around, she tried to forget about the figure. Yes, she wanted to get out of there but random strangers in black cloaks aren't usually trustworthy. Edging closer to the water, she could still feel the eyes burning holes through her skull.

"Do you mind...?" She whispered, hoping that the figure might realize she was becoming irritable.

"What are you doing out here?" He replied. She tensed as the voice, it was young and serene, giving off a hint of actual curiosity, maybe even concern.

"I wish I knew." Fiddling with her hair, she felt uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"I see," He murmured, looking down to the ground at the somewhat cold reply, "Do you have a name?"

The girl stood up, wiping the dirt from her elegant white dress in an ordinary fashion. Turning around, she found the character had taken his hood down, revealing a mess of spiky blond hair which seemed to curl slightly in places giving it more of a style. His eyes were a deep cerulean which captivated her for a moment, making a small gasp escape her tight lips. His outfit was of course the long cloak. Upon examining it, she noticed his body also tensed up. Feeling the sting of his stare once more, she quietly lifted her head, allowing their eyes to meet. A smile imprinted across her flustered face.

"Namine."

He let a slight grin appear. "Roxas." His messy hair moved with a soft breeze as he spoke his name. It was the first breeze she had felt since entering the world.

"Nice to... meet you." Namine shook her head as a chill fell over her petite body, the tide was coming in.

_'Wow... I guess gravity works in the Realm Of Darkness too...' _She thought, subconsciously allowing her foot to make contact with the icy water. She could not feel the cold, despite knowing how much it should chill her. The moment hit her like a brick as she moved his arm over the position where a beating pulse should be resonating; only to be reminded that there isn't one. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her and her face fell.

_'Guess it wasn't a dream... I really am a Nobody...' _She pressed her hand down harder, hoping to find something but nothing came. The awareness made an uneasiness swoop over, as she let her head fall even further. Closing her eyes, she tried to understand how she could feel sad but not feel a pulse or even have a heart. _'I'm pretending to have feelings? That's a Nobody's natural behavior, I suppose. We just want to feel so badly that we just pretend over and over again without even realizing it... I hate that. ' _she gasped, _'Hate is a feeling too... I did it again, argh.' _

"Don't fight it. You might be a Nobody, but you're still human. You can pretend to feel, it at least helps with knowing you're a Nobody, you don't have to seem any different to normal people," Namine jerked her head up to see Roxas standing very close to her, offering a hand. Then it struck her. Instead of taking his hand, she slowly placed a hand over his position. No pulse. The pale Nobody quickly withdrew her hand and she looked at him strangely, but he simply looked at her in the same way. She laughed nervously.

"You're a Nobody too? Whose?" She asked quizzically, half-expecting him to become 'angered,' but he simply giggled.

"I don't know," The spiky haired teen was now looking at nowhere in particular, as if trying to locate a memory, "I don't remember anything about my past, it's strange actually. I wish I could, but it's all just a blur."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, Namine. At least now I have someone _better _to talk to..." Namine blinked at the comment.

_'Better?' _Blinking again, she looked at Roxas face. It was suddenly full of worry.

"Come on, we need to hurry!" He grabbed her wrist abruptly and began running quickly towards a dark portal, and Namine felt her nerves suddenly rush over her as they entered. She closed her eyes and kept running, just being thankful to be out of the dark world.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **_

Kairi stared at the path in front of her. The view seemed to overtake the entire island as she stared from the top of a hill in awe. The sun was retreating behind many houses and over valleys, letting off subtle rays of light to radiate the orange hue. She couldn't help but feel her eyes growing wider and wider as it fell darker over the small houses. A gust of wind harshly blew past, making her red locks blow violently around her soft face. A few fragments of rocky dirt entered her eyes, making the young Princess wince. She silently rubbed her eyes and stared straight forward again, gaping at a figure rowing over heavy seas. A storm was clearly coming, so she looked again.

"Is that..." Kairi felt her eyelids move narrow while trying to see who was challenging the waves, "Sora?"

A wave bashed against his boat, making it topple to the left and back again. He was now clearly winded but continued traveling to the 'play' island. Kairi looked at the sky, it's orange wonders had been replaced with a terrifying shade of dark gray. Lighting struck from the sky, making Kairi crouch down quickly, covering her ears.

"Please... anything but thunder..." Speaking too soon, Kairi forcefully whirled her body around to face two much smaller Heartless glaring at her. It soon occurred to her that no matter how big of small they were, the intentions and horrifying looks in their eyes were all the same. Snapping out of her fearful trauma, she dashed down the hill, inhaling hard everytime thunder roared. She felt thankful that the Heartless had not decided to follow her, but that changed as she noticed more of them appearing around her. Crimson locks twisted around the side of her head as her body took a desperate stop at the shore line. There was no-where to go, except for the island.

"I must be out of my mind to dare go in a boat again." She groaned while trying to battle the waves which threatened her balance. "Dammit..."

Scanning the area in a panic, she could not locate Sora anywhere. Kairi was overwhelmed by fear but kept a steady head. She pushed the paddles in a rushed way for the last few meters of the water, trying to avoid looking at her reflection; despite remembering her 'dream'. The redhead felt her fears melt away in a frenzy as she touched the sandy beaches of the play island, feeling accomplishment take its place.

"Sora? Are you here?" Kairi quickly twisted her body around to see Sora climbing behind some bushes. She smirked at the many ideas that overtook her while walking over to the shrubs. Her smile faded.

"Why does this place seem so familiar?" She questioned out loud. The shrubs worked their purpose as she found a hidden path behind them. Yet, she wasn't surprised.

_'The secret place...'_

Kairi stopped about halfway down the path and quickly looked over herself. The thought had startled her, as the voice in her head was indeed hers. Only much younger.

_'I'm really allowed in?'_

Another voice entered, much to her surprise, it was the high pitched voice of a male.

_'Of course you are, Kairi. This can be our secret placed too.'_

Kairi continued trekking into the cavern as the thoughts became louder and clearer. She suddenly winced in pain as the thoughts turned to an intensified ringing noise. Falling to her knees, the confused teen held her head tightly. Her body jerked rapidly from side to side as the noise attacked brutally. She felt her eyes grow wide as the voices from before made another appearance. Only this time, they weren't in her head.

"Please, cheer up..." The first voice was soft. So soft that it felt almost ghostly.

"H-how.. can.. can I c-cheer up, N-nami?" This voice was clear to Kairi, but it bit her to the tongue. She couldn't remember it.

"I'm right here, I'm always here... your strong heart lets me, but you need to be happy-"

"I h-hate-" The conversation began to get cut off from loud crashes outside. Kairi could hear that the storm was still there.

"Why-..." The soft voice was now questioning the situation, she seemed almost... afraid.

The next few words simply left Kairi confused, she couldn't understand it anymore. "Forget him-"

"Kairi- no!" The panic of the other voice ended the conversing, and the ringing finally stopped. Kairi stayed still for a few moments before moving her hand to examine a streak of cold tears sprinting down her face. She giggled at the fact slightly, after all, the younger Kairi in her 'memory' was crying too. The crimson Princess slowly regained her feet and continued walking into the secluded cave. She opened her eyes wide and smiled.

"Sora?"

Sora jumped at her presence, quickly pulling his gloved hand away from a drawing on the cave wall.

"Kairi." He spoke her name calmly while scanning her mindlessly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was..." Her gaze met the drawing on the wall for a moment before he shifted in front of it stiffly, "I was avoiding you when the Heartless showed up and I came here because it was the only..." She stopped again, noticing a sudden spark in his interest, "The only safe place."

"... What?"

Kairi gaped at him in surprise. "You heard me-" Another loud crash was heard outside, cutting her off.

"Are you _sure_ this place is as safe as you thought?!" He spat. Kairi felt intimidated by him for a moment as he moved past her grudgingly.

"I don't think it is _now_..." She whispered and the Keyblade appeared in his hand. She backed into the cave, falling over when another crash was heard. "Sora..."

"It's not safe in here. It might cave in." Sora said, while looking to her apathetically.

"Why do you dislike me?" Kairi snarled at his glare.

"I hardly know you to dislike you. Now isn't the-"

"Then let me in. Get to know me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Look! You're right, you won't be going anywhere except to wherever the dead go if we don't get out of here now! Look behind you!" Sora raised his voice, making Kairi rotate at that instant. She felt fear creep over her as the cave had a strange wooden door in the side of it. At the edges of the frame, black smug was seeping through, forming in the shape of veins on the cave walls.

Kairi was lost for words at the sight. "What..."

Sora reacted quickly, grabbing Kairi's hand to begin rushing through the cavern entrance. The redhead felt a suddenly familiarity as an image flashed through her mind. The image was similar to this one in almost every way, except in Sora's place was a boy with messy blonde bangs and was wearing a long black shroud. The girl in Kairi's place, was someone she briefly recognized from the dream she had before meeting Sora and Riku. Namine. She seemed to be in a panic as much as Kairi is now, except she looked more sad. For some reason, this surprised Kairi.

Kairi felt a tug on her hand, pulling hand pulling her back to reality, they were outside the cave now. The island seemed rather creepy now. Everything was coated in a thick shadow which made it hard for her eyes to navigate it. She could scarcely make out a few broken trees and planks of wood were spread all across the ground. She stared at the sky. _'No stars...'_

"What... what is that in the water?" Sora frighteningly inquired; his shaking arm pointed to the water in question. The water was moving back into itself at a fast rate, and the little blue was turning a bright shade of pink, but that was... the light. Kairi shocked her head up in astonishment. She felt her body twisting itself up inside at the sight.

"No..." She started, but couldn't finish for she was shaking rapidly. Sora looked at her response in shock, he couldn't hold his fear in anymore.

"Kairi?! What... is... THAT?" Sora screamed, his body shaking almost just as much as the Keyblade's white aura flashed off and on. The ocean was no longer in a serene paralleled state along the shoreline. In the center, a huge chunk of the world appeared to be been ripped out, as all the ocean water rapidly flowed down the edges. The pink glow radiating the water was flowing from the center point of the hole. Standing above that hole, was a large Heartless. It was similar to the ones which first attacked her, except it was _much_ bigger, had many horns sprouting from it's head, and the Heartless 'symbol' was carved out of it's chest, showing the hollowed space where it's heart would be if it had one. Kairi flashed back to what she thought on the beach before she was attacked.

_'It's not like a normal heart. It's supplied by light, and protects us from evil such as the Heart__less._'

"... THE WORLD'S HEART!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, making Sora fall out his trance fast enough to see the heart of Destiny Islands rising from the hole, reverberating less and less as the light dimmed. The Heartless stretched out his large arms to claim the heart. Kairi snapped her head to look at Sora's blade once more. _'The Keyblade... can kill Heartless...' _She thought, before looking back to the shocked teen.

"Sora! You need to stop it!"

He cocked his head to her. "What?"

"You have the power to kill it! Please! Before this world dies!!" Kairi howled at him. The Heartless was edge closer to the heart but both teens shook violently for a moment as the land around them began to fall apart. Streams of darkness were swooping all around the sky and across the floor. Sora continued to stare at her.

"..."

"Sora! Hurry!" She held his shoulders firmly.

"I... can't..."

"Yes you can! That weapon chose you! Use it!"

"Why should I-" The ground shook again as a Heartless attacked his back.

"Sora!" She looked at the Heartless indignantly. Sora got off the floor quickly, and as if by instinct he slashed the Heartless in two. "See, you can! Please, stop that Heart-"

Kairi swiftly fell dismal. She crashed to the floor her knees, head falling forward as all emotion was stripped from it in a mere moment. The light from the heart faded as it was devoured by the Heartless. The many screams of people who still had hearts could be heard from miles as the island over the ocean, split in too. Kairi sobbed loudly at the cries of everyone else, ignoring the fact that everyone around her was falling apart.

"We're too late..."

"Kairi...?" Sora asked, staring at her blankly. He felt the earth before them move. "Kairi!"

Kairi looked up on instruct, gaping at the area around them. A crack appeared in between her and Sora. Sora reacted quickly and grabbed her hand before she toppled. Kairi gasped lightly as the land between them started to move further apart. She felt the grip on Sora's hand loosening as all the land around them faded.

"Sora!"

"Kairi... I'm sorry... I do..." A large crash was heard behind them as the large Heartless hovered a small distance away. It was heading for them. "I do... want to... get to know you..."

Kairi smiled through her tears, but she didn't think they'd get the chance. "Will you be my friend, Sora?"

Sora smiled. "I will!"

The Heartless made a grab for them. Sora was about to let go and Kairi was bracing herself to drift away. She stared at the Heartless about to end her short existence. Sora held onto her as tight as he could. "Kairi!" The earth seemed to move apart much faster. Sora glared at the endless drop below them.

"I promise to try..." Kairi motioned her words towards him, trying to ignore the Heartless. She looked up at the Heartless as it began to dissolve into light. "Light...?" The Heartless' captive heart was released, but the worlds heart was gone.

They were about to let go when a light twisted around them. Flickers of light began to rise up from the gap in the ground and everything around them became a white screen. Kairi felt her tears float around her in the empty space. They were at ease as Destiny Islands faded around them in the warmth. Sora tightened his grip on her hand as the two fell into a heavy sleep as the light carried them away.

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-lessthanthree- Yep it's rushed in places, and not rushed in some. Otherall, I have mixed feelings for it so we shall just push forward and try to improve.

**Review if you like.**

_- Enlightened Life_


	4. Chaos

**Disclaimer: Enlightened Life does NOT own Kingdom Hearts.**

_Oh. My. Gosh. I fail. This chapters actually... just the beginning of the Castle, but I got a little overboard and well you'll have to wait another chapter... xD Sorryy..._

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_**To** **Unfortunate Events**: Can you forgive me for my lack of social skills and time? Dx -Needs to reply to your message- I always remember but then never get around to it. :[_

_**To everyone else**: I hope you enjoy this chapter... XD I'm once again, not entirely sure about it. _**_  
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_**Chapter 4 – Chaos**_

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The town was lit with an array of orange light mixed with the shining red of the cobble stoned streets. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. Namine couldn't help but feel more or less flustered in the empty town as she was dragged across every brick by a seemingly frightened male Nobody. She also couldn't help but wonder where they were going. Not like anyone else was going to know.

"Roxas?" She asked, just loud enough for him to hear.

"..."

"Roxas..."

"What is it?" Namine found herself speaking louder now, but felt uncomfortable at the sudden tug on her arm. He was moving faster.

"No time to explain. Just keep up with me." He spoked indirectly. Namine was beginning to fluster around him. A Nobody can not feel, but they can think and her mind was telling her that this wasn't the best idea.

"Just explain as briefly as you... can?" She questioned in an almost pleading voice.

"We just aren't safe until we get where we're going. Thats all." Namine looked down to the ground slightly, trying not to fall over at the increasing pace.

"Safe..." She shook her head and looked back up to see that Roxas was guiding her towards a hole in a large brick wall.

_'The bricks are much darker then the others ones scattered through the town, it must be older and probably not paid much attention to... then again, who actually inhabits this town?' _She asked herself while scanning the surroundings.

"Go in, Namine." Roxas instructed, finally letting go of her hand. She found herself laughing in her mind at the sight of his scarcely rose cheeks.

"What about you?" Namine looked down to the ground again, realizing that she shouldn't care much what he did. Even if he did get her out of that darker world.

"I've got some things to take care of-"

"_Oh, like explaining to The Superior while you're not completing your mission?"_

Roxas flared his head up quickly at the voice. Namine blinked a few times in shock because what happened next took place in a matter of seconds. She was flabbergasted. Roxas was pushed hard against the wall, his face scraping down it's surface powerfully. Both his arms were locked behind his back in a tight grip, a grip which was held in place by the arm of his attacker. The man was quite tall and slander. His bright red hair was stretched back all in one direction but was indeed quite spiky. His acute green eyes switched back and forth between Roxas and her before grunting loudly and setting one more fierce push into the blondes back.

"Stop it!" Namine found herself pushing her arms back in defense as her body leaned forward to amplify the yell. The man simply ignored her and leaned in closer to Roxas.

"Why did you screw this up, Roxas? You know better..." He slurred the words quietly in his ear making Roxas' eyes widen.

"I did my part of the mission, Axel. _Shes_ just..." He couldn't find the words to describe Namine. He felt a sense of honor towards her, but couldn't let Axel hear that. Axel simply smirked, pushing against Roxas lightly to continue, "Shes just a girl, or a _Nobody_ that was wondering around The Realm Of Darkness."

"Idiot."

Roxas grinned, but Axel was right. He was idiotic to have brought her into Twilight Town. Namine stood a few meters away. She watched the two intently, letting her fists drop in understanding.

"Yep. I'm an idiot, but _Mansex_ doesn't have to know about this." Roxas prompted his words to make them sound more like a favor. Axel sighed in response, letting go of Roxas as he moved back to glare at him.

"Eh? It's X-E-M-N-A-S, Roxas. Got it memorized?" Axel recited with a worried look on his face as he switched his glance to Namine.

"What? Since when do you give a damn about him?" The young Nobody asked, tilting his head.

"I don't," Axel looked back at Roxas with a spark in his eyes, "But the walls have eyes."

Roxas' smiled faded as he took a quick look at Namine. She took one step back in fear and held her sketch book tighter.

"Namine, I think we should go in there now." Roxas suggested to her with a light smile. Namine tensed down a little and nodded as Roxas began to walk towards her. He suddenly stopped, feeling heat all around the area; One of Axel's Chakrams shot around his body and stabbed into the ground directly in front of him. Roxas groaned at it and Namine backed up again.

"Sorry, Roxas. I have to take you back so you can explain... or lie... what you're doing in Twilight Town and why you're late reporting in." Axel explained, "Got it memorized? I don't want to drag you-"

"Alright," Roxas turned around to face him. A cold look broke towards Axel as he dragged himself towards him, "Namine, just follow the path through the woods and you'll find a deserted mansion. Hang out there for a while, I'll be back."

Namine didn't respond. She looked at both Nobodies sharply before rushing through the hole. She heard another portal open and decided to peer back, seeing both of them disappear in fragments of darkness. Sighing heavily, the petite blonde made her way through the thick timberland.

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Kairi's senses took a longer time to kick in then anyone excepted. She finally felt the cold, concrete floor pressed against her body as shivers were sent through it. Opening her eyes, she could see that she was in a rather large hall. It seemed amusing to her as the room was very wide but contained nothing but her and a bright sphere. She stared at it for a long time before a throbbing pain hit her heart, causing her to grasp her chest tightly. Wincing a couple of times, her eyes felt heavy under the pain and soon couldn't concentrate because of an accumulating light seeping through the gaps in her closed eyelids.

"What is this?" She asked herself, but blankly hoped for a response.

_'The beacon of this castle.'_

_'It protects the world.'_

_'A place of impeccable kindness and kindling hope.'_

_'For all from who cherish their light..'_

The flashes stopped and Kairi blinked a few times, gapping at the orb. "It talks..?" She asked again to see if any random response came. No luck. Walking over to it, she could feel it's power voiding all around the room; she stopped, feeling nervous about it all of a sudden. Courage seemed to overwhelm her as she placed one hand onto it's surface and shut her eyes softly. For a moment there was no response, though, as she was about to move away her eyes shot open; causing her to stumble onto the ground. A collection of images had been placed into her mind; she found herself tearing apart at the sight as memory after memory shot through her mind, turning her entire mind into an attack.

"No- please... stop- I don't want to- PLEASE! Stop it! I don't want- I don't.... NO! The people!" She found herself yelling an array of words at the stone, her face was filled with a variety of twisted emotions. It was as if she was gazing hate onto it's surface, through her pain. It was unbearable.

"STOP!!!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, her breath giving way at the very last moment. Kairi's body flopped sideways and she barely caught herself. She was leaning heavily on both arms as her entire being was trying to collapse to one side, she couldn't stop the tears but was somehow stopping the screaming. Her breathing caught up with her again but was very rigid. After sitting there for a few minutes, she gave in, allowing her mind to shut down for a while and pleasant dreams to sooth her.

Although, nothing would ever be able to sooth what she saw.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" Kairi couldn't open her eyes to the unrecognizable voice. She felt her body heavily spread over the cold floor again, numbing it quicker. Kairi couldn't really make out the words any better when the voice spoke again, "Hello? Are you alright? … Can you hear me?"

Kairi moaned like a teenager trying to avoid school on a Monday morning. The voice kept speaking to her as the words became clearer and clearer. Soon, Kairi was able to full understand the voice and tried to reply.

"Y-yeah..." She muttered causing a sigh of relief. Opening her azure eyes again, she could make out the image of a small ball dress, mostly fit for royalty. It had many layers; mostly consisting of a dark or lighter purple but taking the shade of pink for a gap in the center where a ruffled under layer was visible. The top part of the dress was embedded with different jewels which moved up the center line and around the edges of the light purple chest area; topping off with a 'vampire' style collar, sticking up around her neck.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright..." The stranger bridged a hand out for her and Kairi nervously took it; slowly being dragged from her numb state.

"Yeah, I don't know what... happened." Kairi lied with a half-heartily smile.

"No-one was supposed to be down here, nor can anyone usually get down here. Especially people who... aren't from this world?" She rattled on while Kairi stared at her with a shocked expression, only just coming to the realization that the stranger was a talking, female, fancy-dressed duck, "Anyways, I heard screaming and had to come on down here. Scared me quite a bit, mind you."

Kairi smiled, the duck had a small attitude which made her feel safer.

"Well, thank you for helping me. Can you tell me the way out?" The young Princess asked for a cute tilt of her head.

"No, I don't think I can... you could be a danger to us, so it wouldn't be safe for me to let you wonder into our world. I'll have to talk to the Kin-" She stopped half way and crossed her arms, scanning Kairi's confused being. "You look a mess, you know that?"

Kairi gasped, looking over herself. She felt her face heat up and looked away, ashamed of her poor attire. "Eh... guess this outfit has been through a lot..."

"What do you mean by that?" The duck inquired while giving Kairi shady looks.

"Just that... um... I haven't had chance to clean... up?" She grinned clumsily.

The duck tutted at her and moved her arms to her hips. "Better at least get you cleaned up-" She stopped again, turning from Kairi for a few seconds because twirling her puffy dress back again, "I can't go with you, I have to... be somewhere." She said with a glint in her eyes.

"But, what do I... do?" Kairi's face twisted in pure confusion.

The duck glared at her in frustration. "I'll lead you out of here and then you're on your own to find the Mopping Room."

_'**Mopping** Room? I thought it was me getting cleaned up not the floor...' _Kairi thought, while looking over herself again.

"Think you can handle that? And don't you try anything funny; you may not look like a heartless but that doesn't mean you might not be one."

Kairi was taken back by this comment, back to the night she almost lost her heart and gained a Nobody. _'Was that really only a few nights ago...?' _She was instantly strapped back from her thoughts as the duck was tapping her _heals_ on the floor. Very loudly. "I think I'll manage."

"Good. Now, follow me."

"Okay..." Kairi felt nervous about leaving the room, but after looking back at the orb in the center all her nerves disappeared and she continued to follow the duck.

"By the way, the name's Daisy. Daisy Duck." She say without looking back.

"My name's Kairi." Kairi spoke her name quietly, with a hint of worry in her voice. The worrying intensified when Daisy stopped for a moment to take in her name and then continued moving. Kairi sighed. Daisy stopped at one edge of the wall, making Kairi glare at her quizzically. The royally dressed duck breathed in hard and pressed a hand against the walls surface, making it ignite with strips of pure light dashing from the stone to it; much like the ones which got Kairi and Sora off the islands.

_'Oh my gosh, Sora! I hope he's alright...' _She thought.

A large part of the wall revealed itself with light rushing around it's edges. It began to topple backwards slowly while turning into a large flight of stairs. Kairi could marginally make out the top of the stairs moving to the side; creating an exit. She stared the transformation in awe.

"Ready to go?" Daisy finally turned around to address her.

Kairi smiled widely. "Yeah, I think I am."

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Sora's mind was nothing more then a mix of confusion as he slowly rose to his knees. The green was nice and cool under the sunlight but he knew he couldn't stay there. As he groaned at the tension in his legs his ears picked up a strange conversation.

"Donald? Donald, wake up. The King wants to uh.. see us." Peaking out from behind a the shrub, Sora set his eyes upon what appeared to be a Anthropomorphic dog, speaking to a... duck? Rubbing his eyes a few times, the image remained; as did the movement of his jaw.\

"Yeah, yeah, The King wants to see us so what are you dawdling for, huh?" The ducks attitude was unattractive (for lack of better words), but the talking dog simply stared at him, oblivious to what had just happened.

"Ya-yeah! Hey, maybe we're having a day off!" He spoke again, making Sora wonder how exactly how a duck and a dog were so close. He placed a hand on his spiky locks in thought and continued to watch the scene.

_'So this is another world... it might be hostile,'_ he thought while looking at the dog again,_ 'He might eat me...'_

"Stop messing around, Goofy!" Donald yelled loudly causing his words to quack slightly. Sora blinked a few times before giggling at the pair.

_'A humanoid dog called Goofy, and a Duck with anger issues. This would make for great TV.'_

Suddenly, Sora felt light. His giggling stopped immediately at the sensation as he tried his best not to panic; soon realizing what was happened. He pointed his chocolate spikes downwards and stared at the ground. His eyes grew wide.

_'I'm... floating?'_

He was only getting higher into the air. The teen began to flush madly as his hair became more visible over the top of the grove. In a frenzy, he started to swerve his body back down to the ground, but the pressure only accelerated his rising. The ground now seemed like a distance memory as Sora rose further. He shot a glance straight forward to see Donald Duck staring him right in the face. Goofy burst out laughing.

"That sure is one funny face!" He snorted, toppling to the floor.

Sora looked back at Donald, but soon felt fear overwhelm him. Something wasn't-

"THUNDER!" He roared, hurtling a bolt towards the hovering boy. Sora barely dodged by repelling his body, but dodged it anyway. Donald continued to assault him with his strange attacks; not even tiring out.

"Why are you attacking me?!" Sora growled, rising even further into the blue sky.

Donald didn't answer. Instead, his eyes glinted as he continued his attacks. Sora found himself jumping from place to place in the Worlds air. The smell of freshly cut grass lingering between the moving particles. He found it peaceful, even with the constant strikes of thunder moving closer to him. In one hard push, he launched himself, quickly avoiding a sharp strike.

"Donald! What'cha doing that for!" Goofy bawled at Donald, making Sora blink a few times.

"Because hes a Heartless!" Donald replied. Sora chuckled madly at the thought, but stopped as his feet made contact with the castle's roof. "THUNDER!"

Sora gapped at the ground in shock as Donald sent a line of thunderbolts tackling the roof center. The young brunette was exhausted from his gliding but began to run across the surface. Not fast enough. A bolt struck him hard in the back. He could hardly see as he winced in pain but as if by instruct, the Keyblade materialized in his hand and he sluggishly deflected all the other attacks. Donald didn't cease. He continued to throw more at the Keyblade bearer. Sora managed to deflect all the other attacks while still belting around the rooftop. He eventually came to a small outer platform with a door... and a cannon, although the cannon was extremely dusty; probably not been used in years. Sora gave one quick look at the ground to see Goofy trying to hold the angered duck back before retreating into the castles building.

"Donald! He had a weapon! Ya' can't just go on fighting every fella' you see!" Goofy said, trying to reason.

"I don't care! Let me at him!"

"No! We have to go see The King. He'll sure know what to do." Goofy wondered for a moment, "Gee.. you wouldn't wanna miss you date-"

Goofy shot back to earth but soon regreted it; Donald had taken the opportunity and begun to chase after Sora.

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Kairi escaped through the overly-sized hallways of the castle. Taking extra care to notice the many large pictures hanging from the walls, she could make out that most of the residents of this world were animals. _Talking_ animals. She mentally noted that the most common animal featured in the works was a mouse. He may not have been fully human, but he did indeed look quite majestic in the several pictures. She stopped at the last one of the hall, taking in all details. Leaning forward to examine it's features closely, she stumbled back, confused by her sudden art expertise.

_'I've never been into art... I can't draw stick people to save my life.' _She thought, cocking her head daintily.

Leaning in again, she opened her eyes wide in shock at the object which the mouse was leaning on proudly. It was a Keyblade. Kairi scrutinized the image harshly, practically touching it with her head as she leaned closer and closer. It was indeed, a Keyblade.

She backed away quickly, realizing how awkward the position looked. _'How is that possible...'_

Kairi rubbed her head a little in thought before continuing down another hall. Groaning in desperation, she started to inspect every door. They were all normal sized for an animal castle, but something was strange about them either way. Kairi placed her hand on a door nob and instantly felt a lightness fall upon her. She withdrew almost instantly and tried another; it felt the same.

_'It's as if lights just surging throughout this castle.' _She caught the thought and proceeded.

She decided to take peaks through the doors. Most of the rooms were the same; tightly color coded bedrooms with some kind of framed art hanging upon the wall. Most of which were again of the mouse. She casually stepped out of the room and sighed. She was lost. Nervously, she put a hand to her radiant hair and swept it behind her ears to stop it sticking to the sweat forming around her face. Opening her azure eyes, she noticed a slit in the hallway. Upon further investigation, she found no door but a flight of brightly colored stairs with light resonating from the bottom. She decided to take the chance and tackle the awkwardly welcoming entrance. The stairs seemed to last for quite some time and Kairi could feel her body shaking violently as she slowly caressed the handle bar. Her senses abruptly stopped as she swore she heard the sound of electrical sparks before rushing down the stairs to meet the cause.

"Huh..."

Kairi's eyes glistened in awe at the room. It was very spacious with lots of different platforms. The walls were a navy blue color but the lights (like the stairs) were patterned around the edges in a spectrum. With lots of different colored cogs spinning rapidly. Kairi's envision of the room was suddenly cut off by a squeaky but clear yelling.

"Dale! We gotta' put that thing there!"

"Darn it, Chip, why you got to be so loud?"

"Because we have to move it! The King wants these done, pronto!"

Kairi heard a small chipmunked sigh and giggled as the bickering continued. Though, it didn't take long for them to notice her ever growing laughter. The bickering swiftly stopped and Kairi rushed her hands over her mouth to stop the laughing. Then she heard the voices again, but much lower, and more secretive.

"Is she supposed to be down here?"

"We oughta' tell King Mickey..."

_'King Mickey?' _Kairi asked her mind while looking back at the images in her memory.

"Well, we can't have her getting in our way down here, can we?"

"Let's send her somewhere else!"

_'God... these voices act like I'm not even here...' _She thought again angrily, tensing her eyes in search of the owners.

"Um... hi there?"

_'I mean, this world looks nice but seriously everyone's so rude...'_

"Yo?"

_'And now people hide while they talk about me god-OW!" _Kairi crashed back to reality, seeing a small cog rolling away slowly before placing her hand to her head in pain. "Ow..."

"Well serves you right for ignoring us!"

Kairi finally realized that she had completely zoned out. Looking down, she set her eyes upon two chipmunks wearing light and dark overalls. Both of which

bore yellow gears with red insignias in the shape of a mouses head in the center. Kairi eyed them questionably before finally answering. "Hello."

"About time..." One of them muttered.

The other one brushed him slightly in irritation before turning his attention back to Kairi.

"Don't mind him, he's just being a grump today," The chipmunk smiled, "I'm Dale."

"I'm Chip." The second chipmunk stepped forward. He was obviously the uptight one of the pair.

"Welcome to Disney Castle!" They both said simultaneously.

Kairi shined a smile for a moment. "Thanks... I think," she paused, "Oh, I'm Kairi."

"And you're lost if you ended up down here." Chip snickered.

"Hehe... yep." Kairi couldn't help but smile in their presense. They were adorable.

"What were you looking for?" Dale asked sheepishly.

Kairi's eyes widened quickly, trying to recall the room name.

She quickly remembered Daisy's words. _'I'll lead you out of here and then you're on your own to find the Mopping Room.'_

"The Mopping Room." Kairi beamed, but both chipmunks looked at her strangely. She frowned. "No?"

"It's just up those stairs-" Dale began.

"-You _can't_ miss it." Chip finished; both still looking at her as if she was insane.

"... Thanks." She said nervously before wondering past them, while staring at the strange machines. Pausing for a second, she wheeled around to face them. "What is this room?"

"The Gummi-Hanger." Chip beamed proudly.

"And those are Gummi Ships." Dale frowned, while looking at a small piece of paper.

"But none of them are _finished_ because Dale's so lazy." Chip muttered under his breath, making Dale obviously nervous. Chip looked at him sympathetically before pride took over again, "Well you are!"

"Um, I think I'll go," Kairi looked at the two, frowning a little, "If that's alright..."

"Sure! Just come back and see us soon!" Both chipmunks grinned at her.

"Will do. See you soon!" Kairi took of for the second set of stairs and was soon out of sight.

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_Well that was utterly different to write... even though it may not appear that way.. xD Major inspiration block struck me down hard recently. Hope it wasn't all.. too bad._

_Please review. :]_


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